Evaluation Rathenau Institute

The Rathenau Institute is funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and conducts research on science, innovation, and new technologies, and also organises debates on these topics. The organisation, with around 50 employees, aims to stimulate public and political debate on the societal aspects of science and technology. In 2017, a committee of experts evaluated the institute on several aspects. Dialogic (Robbin te Velde) provided the secretary for this evaluation committee and also drafted the report. In April, the Minister responded to the evaluation in a letter to Parliament. The committee positively evaluated: • the institute's image, its position within the knowledge landscape, and its overall functioning; • its visibility in public debate and ability to rise above conflicting interests; • the quality of its research work and its role in providing information to the science community. One point of discussion remains the institute's affiliation. Thus far, the Rathenau Institute has been part of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) as a separate entity. However, unlike other KNAW institutes, it is not a regular scientific institute. Therefore, it cannot be assessed and directed in the same way as the other institutes. The committee noted that this makes it challenging to evaluate the Rathenau Institute based on strict academic criteria. Hence, the Minister has requested the institute to collaborate with its foreign counterparts to develop an evaluation protocol for future assessments, to be reviewed by several science academies. For comparison: the number of publications by Rathenau, ITA (Austria), SCP, and Dialogic. [The text links to a table, which can be viewed at the source link provided.] The committee suggests that the current affiliation within the KNAW needs to be reviewed. The recommended solution is to maintain the current organisational and administrative structure under the KNAW but remove its legal responsibility from the KNAW. The Minister has acknowledged the committee's recommendation. A joint exploration will now be conducted by the KNAW and the Rathenau Institute to determine the position of the Rathenau Institute as an independent entity within the KNAW.